10/19/2025
Obituary for Diane Anderson Pollard -
Durham - Diane Anderson Pollard passed away peacefully in her sleep on the evening of October 6, 2025, at her home in Durham, NH. Diane endured cancer treatments for two years, hoping to gain time to enjoy the company of her four grandchildren. Diane’s strength, determination, resilience, as well as the compassionate care she received during this time allowed for the creation of many beautiful memories with her that family members will cherish forever. As Diane wished, no public service will be held.
Diane was born at Camp Atterbury, IN on June 8,1944. She was the only child of Margaret Lane Hardy of Anniston, AL, and James (Howard) Hardy, (CPT. U.S. Army) of Ecru, MS. Howard was killed during the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium in December 1944. After Howard’s death, Margaret and Diane began a new life in St. Petersburg, Fl, where Margaret’s brother lived. Margaret drove from Alabama to St. Pete with infant Diane swaddled in a cardboard box in the back seat (what a different time it was). There Margaret met and married John Anderson, who legally adopted Diane, raising her as his own along with two daughters later born to John and Margaret. Diane graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1962 and later earned a BA degree in Social Work from Florida State University (1967) as well as MS degrees in Rehabilitation Counseling (1969) and in Social Work (1978) from University of Florida and Boston University, respectively.
Diane met James E. Pollard (Jim) of St. Petersburg, FL, her husband for 58 years, on a blind date in 1965 while Jim was in graduate school at University of Florida in Gainesville and Diane was finishing her B.A. degree in Social Work at Florida State University in Tallahassee. They had a commuter courtship for two years, enjoying ‘the life’, tubing on Florida’s spring-fed rivers, and doing nerdy stuff like searching for fossil sharks’ teeth in a sink hole near campus. One afternoon in 1966, as they sifted through the gravel at the bottom of a sink hole, Diane found an engagement ring that Jim had stealthily hidden there. Taking advantage of the element of surprise, Jim proposed on the spot. They married in 1967, earned their graduate degrees from University of Florida in 1969, and moved to Durham, NH in 1970 where they have lived for 55 years.
Moving to New Hampshire was Diane’s and Jim’s first big adventure together, as neither one had lived anywhere other than Florida, except for a few years while in undergraduate school. They thought this chilly ‘New England adventure’ for two Floridians would last only a few years before they moved back south, but they adapted well enough to their first long New Hampshire winter and soon realized that they had won the lottery for best places to raise a family. Within the year son Jason was born (1971), and fifteen years later they were blessed with the birth of daughter Lindsey (1986), who likes to remind her brother that he was the accident.
Diane’s first employment in NH was in Concord where she worked for one year as a Youth Counselor for a state agency. Once Jason entered pre-school, Diane enrolled in the Boston University Master of Social Work program, commuting to Boston two days per week to earn her MSW degree. Soon thereafter she accepted a position with Strafford Guidance Center (Dover, NH), where she worked for five years before accepting a position as a Middle School Counselor for the Portsmouth, NH Public School System, where she worked until her retirement in 2004.
Diane’s longest lasting and most significant retirement project was researching the history of her biological father’s youth and military service, as her mother had not told her much about him. Diane’s father is buried in Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium. She was curious about his service record and the circumstances of his death. She curated an extensive record of his service and correspondence. To learn even more, Diane contacted World War II history hobbyists in Belgium and the Netherlands, most of whom became close friends.
Diane’s research led to her membership in the American War Orphans Network (AWON), and ultimately to serve as co-coordinator of a biennial national convention, which that year was held in Washington, DC. Planning and organizing this convention was a time-consuming job for the better part of two years. It was an achievement for which Diane was deservedly proud. Her family was proud of her for her dedication to her research and her service in AWON, which allowed them as well to come to know more about her father.
Diane and Jim traveled to Belgium in 2005 for their first visit to her father‘s grave and to meet the Belgian woman who had adopted his grave. It is common for Belgian and Dutch citizens of Diane’s generation, along with their children and grandchildren, to adopt graves of soldiers buried in American military cemeteries in their countries, in gratitude for their ultimate sacrifice in liberating their countries from war-time occupation. Adoption of Howard’s grave has since been passed to a young Belgian woman who at the time was a middle school student living in the city of Liege. Diane was grateful for this tradition of caretaking and respect that passes from one generation to the next and for the reverence and commitment of her father’s grave-site adopters. Over the years, Diane and Jim made many trips to Henri-Chapelle Cemetery for Memorial Day Services, including one with daughter Lindsey, with whom Diane found great joy in sharing a visit to a place that held so much meaning in her life. Diane loved travel, a gift passed down to her by her mother. These visits to Henri-Chapelle were often combined with travel for pleasure to many other European countries.
Diane’s other passion in retirement was social activity with fellow members of the Seacoast Newcomers Club. She served as club president for a term because as with AWON and her friends Diane felt a need to give more than she received. She made many close friends through the club and especially enjoyed girlfriend lunch dates. A small group of her closest friends met monthly for lunches, which frequently lasted four to five hours. As dinner time approached restaurant staff had to nudge them toward the door. Dinner for Jim on those nights was Diane’s leftovers, as she always thoughtfully ordered for two. These gals and many long-time friends from when her children were young were a wonderful source of encouragement and emotional support for Diane. We, her surviving family members, are grateful for their support and enduring friendships which gave Diane much comfort and soul soothing peace during her last two years.
In addition to Jim, Diane is survived by their son Dr. Jason Pollard, his wife Dr. Jessica Pollard, and their sons Owen and Miles of Needham, MA; by their daughter Lindsey Koudelka, her husband Lukáš Koudelka, and their daughters Nadia and Georgia of Prague, CZ; by her sisters, Vicki Decker of Portsmouth, NH and Linda Kline-Romboy of St. Petersburg, Fl, the daughters of Margaret and John; and by many cousins, including Ginger Hanner of St. Petersburg, FL, who also steadfastly supported Diane throughout.
In lieu of flowers, those who wish to may consider a donation in memory of Diane Pollard to the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies at MGB Cancer Institute. Donations may be submitted either online at https://www.giving.massgeneral.org/donate/ , or by check payable to Termeer Center (please include the name Diane Pollard on the memo line), mailed to the MGH Development Office, attn. Megan Daniels, 125 Nashua St., Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114.
Diane was dearly loved by her family and friends . We will miss her every single day and take comfort in knowing that her love of life, thoughtfulness, and generosity will live on through everyone whose hearts she touched along the way.
